KYSELA PERE ET FILS, LTD.

"Only made in top vintages, the 2019 Shiraz Ron Thorn is 100% Shiraz from the St. Kitts Vineyard in Barossa. Killer notes of blackberries, black cherries, smoked tobacco, chocolate, and subtle menthol all define the aromatics, and it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, layered mouthfeel, huge mid-palate depth, and a salty, decadent style on the finish. This monster of a Shiraz stays balanced and light on its feet and is beautifully done."

- Jeb Dunnuck (Importer Highlight: Fran Kysela ; July 2024), 96 pts

"Shows personality and elegance, with accents of star anise and Szechuan peppercorn up front adding complexity and aromatics to the core of red currant, maraschino cherry and huckleberry, plus details of cinnamon, black licorice and sage. Offers a touch of rosemary and a hint of mint on the long, polished and velvety finish. Drink now through 2037. - MaryAnn WOROBIEC"

- Wine Spectator Insider (September 18th 2024), 94 pts

"Judging by the obscenely heavy packaging, this wine is going to be big—and big it is. 2018 was a wonderful vintage for Barossa Shiraz, and many producers were able to coax (with ease) abundant red fruits and balanced, ductile tannins from the grapes this season; this is no exception. The 2018 Ron Thorn Shiraz is heavily weighted down by oak at this stage, but the fruit shows the requisite muscle to fend off the oak in the long term. A very good wine, but it's definitely not ready yet. - Erin Larkin"

- Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (September 2022), 94+ pts

"A parcel selection treated to new French oak, this lives up to the wood with pure fruit and pitch-black Barossa tannins. Those tannins are mellow, with bitter rootvegetable savor, earthy against the blackcherry-skin and strawberry notes. There’s a meaty, spice-rub flavor in the tannins, a merging of the oak with fruit-skin phenolics and orange zest esters, all of which will emerge from the blackness with bottle age. - Joshua GREENE"

- Wine & Spirits Magazine (Spring 2024), 93 pts

"This bold Shiraz Ron Thorn Single Vineyard from the excellent 2018 vintage delivers an impressive density of youthful fruit - blackberry and blackcurrant with cumin and coriander seed complexity plus a solid dose of new oak. A robust tannic palate follows, displaying dense ripe fruit with layers of roasted meats and soy sauce complexity. Oak flavors and tannins frame the wine nicely, but it needs time to peak. - Angus Hughson"

- Antonio Galloni's Vinous (March 2023), 93 pts

"From a cooler vintage with powerful blue and purple-fruit focus, forest wood and dark-toned earthy notes. Some plum, iodine and rust-like notes, too. There’s a fleshy feel to the palate with nicely contained blueberries and plums on offer. Plush and smooth tannins abound. Drink over the next decade. Screw cap."

- James Suckling (November 2021), 93 pts

"The best of the 40 batches of grapes vinified in the vintage, from Block 7 of the St Kitts Vineyard. Matured for 20 months in 100% new American oak, which combines with the tannins to thickly coat the mouth. Needs many years to soften the overall impact of the wine."
- Halliday Wine Companion (August 2020), 94 pts

"This big-boned Barossa Shiraz lets its premium nature be known inside and out, from the heavy bottle to the lashings of polished oak billowing over masses of dark-berry fruit. Mint, chocolate and vanilla are there too and while there's plenty of flash here, there's also a good deal to like. The palate gets even more serious when plush silky fruit is gripped by vice-like tannins. This rich wine is made for the long haul so don't touch it yet. Drink 2021–2034. CHRISTINA PICKARD"
- Wine Enthusiast (December 1st 2019), 91 pts & Cellar Selection

"Yes, the 100% new oak shows on this bad boy, but the fruit is so massively concentrated that I don't see it being a problem. The 2015 Ron Thorn Single Vineyard Shiraz is a full-bodied, plush wine, with loads of baking spices, vanilla, boysenberry and cola. Long and dusty on the finish, this should be a long-lived wine. - Joe Czerwinski"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #238, August 31st 2018), 95 pts

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"Full-bodied and rich, this is a traditional style of Barossa Shiraz, aged in American oak hogsheads. Faint menthol or dill notes and plenty of vanilla frame plum and mulberry fruit, while hints of green peppercorn and maple syrup add interest to the long finish. Drink now–2030. - Joe Czewinski"
- Wine Enthusiast (April 2017), 93 pts

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"Vivid purple. Heady, oak-accented cherry preserve, blackberry, cola and coconut scents are energized by a jolt of spicy cracked pepper. Alluringly sweet and  expansive, offering palate-staining dark fruit, spicecake and mocha flavors and a suave floral pastille nuance. Shows impressive vivacity for its brawn, and finishes very long, smooth and smoky, featuring repeating coconut and blue fruit character and harmonious tannins that come in late. - Josh Raynolds"
- Vinous (Australia Brings the Brawn and the Beauty, October 2017), 93 pts

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"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2014 Ron Thorn Single Vineyard Shiraz is beautifully scented of warm blackberries, black cherries and plum preserves over suggestions of toasty oak, mocha, potpourri, incense and smoky bacon. The youthful palate is still fairly oak driven at this primary stage ... - Lisa Perrotti-Brown"
- Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate (Issue #232, August 31st 2017), 92+ pts

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"The dill, smoky mahogany, cedar and tobacco notes are distinctive and aromatic, balanced against wild blackberry and huckleberry flavors. Intense and bold, with rustic tannins. A smoky baconlike accent lingers on the finish. Drink now through 2023. — M.W"
- Wine Spectator Insider (November 2nd 2016), 92 pts

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"Intense, concentrated, toasty oak aromas follow through to a powerful, polished beast of a wine, with impressive structure and a long finish."
- Decanter World Wine Awards, SILVER MEDAL, 91 pts

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"Substantial wine in all respects. The Incredible Hulk in a glass, though a lot classier. Deep blackberry, boysenberry and coffee-cream flavour, a deep river of tannin, an aspect of brood but no lack of brightness either. It's a heavy-hitter but it's not just that; it's neat, it exercises its power both responsibly and with a form of precision, and it flies boldly through the finish as if there's not a shadow of a doubt that the future is a place where it belongs. - James Halliday"
- Australian Wine Companion (Issue 2016), 97 pts

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"Thorn Clarke has taken its Shiraz to a new level with this single-vineyard wine, bottled only in exceptional vintages. The 100% new American oak gives this a classic Barossa profile, starting with vanilla, cedar and maple syrup-like notes and flowing seamlessly through ripe blackberry and plum flavors. It's full bodied, lush and creamy in texture, with a long, velvety finish. Drink now–2025, possibly beyond."
- Wine Enthusiast (August 2016), 96 pts + Editors' Choice

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"Plush and generous, dark and expressive, focusing the blackberry, plum and floral flavors into a supple structure, coming together into a seamless finish. Has tremendous presence and persistence, with fine, beautifully submerged tannins. Drink now through 2025.—H.S."
- Wine Spectator Insider (September 16th 2015), 93 pts

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"(aged in new American oak barrels for 20 months): Vivid purple. Ripe, spice-tinged black and blue fruits, mocha, vanilla and toasty oak on the assertively perfumed nose. Lush, velvety and expansive, with bright acidity adding lift to deeply concentrated cassis, blueberry and spicecake flavors. Closes sappy, smooth and very long, with excellent focus, supple tannins and lingering smokiness. - Josh Raynolds"
- Vinous (March 2016), 93 pts

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"Inky purple. Heady smoke- and spice-tinged aromas of ripe black and blue fruits, licorice candy and potpourri. Lush and broad on entry, then tighter in the middle, offering sweet dark fruit flavors and a suave violet pastille flourish. Lingers with excellent tenacity on the penetrating, persistent finish, which is framed by velvety, slow-building tannins."
- Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (July / August 2014), 92 pts

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"Big and rich, with powerful, meaty, spicy black fruit and crème brûlée flavors that gain momentum in an open texture. The finish is framed by fine tannins and refreshing acidity on the long finish. Drink now through 2025. From Australia.—H.S."
- Wine Spectator Insider (December 17th 2014), 95 pts

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